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Mission: is a statement of purpose and defines the fundamental charge of the system. It is more general in nature and may, in fact, apply to other similar institutions. For example, all public schools have the same fundamental responsibilities. Therefore, they may share similar missions.

HWRSD Mission Statement The Mission of the HWRSD is to educate our children to become young adults who are of good character and demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills needed to be successful members of our global economy and engaged citizens of the 21st Century. Vision statement: describes the desired state of the system in the next five years. It is more specific in nature. It is an expression of possibility, yet based enough in reality to be achievable. Its purpose is to inspire those involved and interested individuals to help it become a reality. It provides the basis from which the school system determines the priorities and establishes targets for performance in the next five years; that is, yearly district and School Improvement Plan (SIP) goals result directly from the vision.

Vision Statement for the HWRSD for 2013­-2018 Through the development of an integrated, data­responsive system of curriculum, instruction, assessment and professional development, the Hamilton­Wenham Regional School District will be a world­class learning organization that graduates students who are well­prepared to meet the post­secondary challenges of the 21st Century economy and engaged members of our global society.

Motto of the HWRSD: Knowledge • Respect • Responsibility • Excellence

Core Beliefs: are the values that professionals in an organization draw from. Unlike the vision, which may change every few years, core beliefs are the philosophies that guide our day­to­day work. HWRSD Statement of Core Beliefs 1. We believe in high standards for all students. 2. We believe successful members of our global economy and engaged citizens of the 21st Century are effective communicators, collaborative, critical thinkers, and problem­solvers. 3. We believe engaged citizens of the 21st Century demonstrate respect for themselves, other people and their cultures, and our environment. 4. We believe in our shared responsibility to develop the whole child, including academic abilities and physical and emotional well­being. 5. We believe students can demonstrate success in a variety of ways. 6. We believe all students learn resilience and confidence through learning in an environment that provides a balance of support and challenge. 7. We believe learning is a lifelong pursuit that neither begins nor ends with one’s formal education. 8. We believe education is the key to continuing the democratic ideals of our Nation.

HWRSD District Transfer Goals Faculty members from all grades and academic disciplines developed PreK­12 Transfer Goals, Overarching Understandings and Overarching Essential Questions for each academic discipline.for nine major content areas. "Transfer Goals" are statements of what students should know and be able to do in order to use, or transfer, the knowledge, skills and abilities they have acquired through education and apply them to authentic tasks. “Overarching Understandings” identify the “important, transferable ideas and processes that students should come to understand.”(2) “Essential Questions” engage learners in making meaning and deepening their understandings.(3) None of us attended school with the goal of only being successful students. Rather, we attended school in order to be successful in life. Transfer goals, Overarching Understandings and Essential Questions are therefore statements of what we independently need to do with the learning we have mastered in school. In addition to developing Transfer Goals for each individual academic area, we have also written the following “Overarching” Transfer Goals to apply to all students in the HWRSD:

All Graduates of the HWRSD Will Be Able to Independently Use Their Learning to:

Demonstrate Character - Build positive personal relationships and make responsible choices that are physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually sound.